P437-m Isabela bridge OKd

The Department of Public Works and Highways will construct a new P437-million bridge in Cagayan province to connect rural communities in Isabela province to the rest of the region, hasten the delivery of their agricultural products, and boost economic productivity.

Public Works Secretary Mark Villar said the new Pigalo Bridge will increase mobility in Cagayan and Isabela as soon as it is constructed.

“The project, together with the approaches, will cross the Cagayan River. It will have a carriageway width of 7.32 meters, wherein both abutments and nine piers rest on bored piles,” Villar said.

“Construction of approaches along the Alicia-Angadanan-San Guilermo Provincial Road in Angadanan, Isabela shall also be done in order to complement the proposed bridge,” he added.

Villar said the Pigalo Bridge project is geared toward attracting legitimate and productive local and foreign investments, which will create employment opportunities for the populace who also benefited from the Community Based Employment Program of the department.

“DPWH has been providing services to the community that will allow them acquire and develop skills in carpentry and other construction-related activities,” Villar said.

The Pigalo Bridge is expected to be completed by the first quarter of 2019. It had been destroyed by two successive typhoons in 2011, Angadanan Mayor Lourdes Panganiban said.

DPWH Region 2 Director Melanio Briosos said the initial work on the bridge has begun.

“The reconstruction of the 450-meter bridge will restore the regular routine of the residents and is expected to boost the economy of Angadanan and nearby towns by easing the transport of goods and services,” Briosos said.

Panganiban stressed the reconstruction of the bridge “is finally a dream come true for our municipality” since typhoons “Pedring” and “Quiel” wrecked it six years ago.

“The townspeople have endured hardships in crossing the [broken] bridge,” the mayor said. 

“They make their way through motorcycles and bicycles, which was highly risky. The folks have also been using small boats to transport people and goods across the bridge. During the rainy season, these boats are prohibited from plying the river,” she added.

Now, the realization of the project “will advance the economy in the locality and help our farmers transport their commodities easily,” Panganiban said.

Briosos said the reconstruction project took so long to start because the DPWH had to process the conversion of roads classified as provincial roads to national roads.